The Beginning of Birth Pains (part 1)! Mark 13:5-8! In the history of modern warfare, there exists a tactic known as feigned retreat, or pretended retreat. One such example of this took place in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings during the Norman conquest of England. William the Conqueror was attacking the English, but the English held a strategic position at the top of a hill and had the advantage of a shield wall that William s army was unable to penetrate. When victory seemed unlikely, one of William s divisions broke off and began fleeing downhill. A couple more divisions soon followed. Upon seeing William s army in what they thought was retreat, the English broke their formation and chased William s army and did not realize that they were in a counter attack until it was too late. The battle turned to William s advantage, and he was able to achieve the victory.! The English had the high ground, but it was forfeited and the battle was lost and it was all through the subtlety of deception.! The Olivet Discourse found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 is the longest and most detailed passage of Scripture where Jesus explains for His disciples what they can anticipate in the days preceding His return. It is known as the Olivet Discourse because Jesus and His disciples had left the temple complex, crossed the Kidron Valley, and climbed the Mount of Olives that overlooks the city of Jerusalem. It was here that Jesus gave this discourse, which is simply a lengthy discussion on a single topic. The topic is the last days and Christ s return.! Keep in mind that the context of this passage is the last week of Jesus ministry. He is in Jerusalem for the Passover. He has been teaching in the temple for a couple of days. They have rejected Him as their Messiah and have embraced a religion of works and man made tradition. As He leaves the temple with His disciples, Matthew records Jesus as having said that their house was now left to them desolate. As they leave, the disciples are in awe over the buildings and stones of the temple, and Jesus tells them that not one stone will be left upon another.! As they make their way to the Mount of Olives, they ask Him a question about His remark:! Mark 13:4 - Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?!
Jesus then begins to teach them what to expect.! As we study this section of Scripture, you will notice that one of the more reoccurring themes is deception. He begins by saying in verse 5, See that no one leads you astray. He says the same thing in verses 21-23. Jesus says that deception will abound in the days that precede His return to earth.! Deception - the act of making someone believe something that is not true! In volume five of his work, The History of the Christian Church, historian Philip Schaff writes about the crusades and one of the more tragic things that supposedly happened during that dark period of time, something known as the Children s Crusade. In 1212, a French shepherd boy by the name of Steven claimed that Jesus had appeared to him disguised as a pilgrim. Supposedly, Jesus instructed him to take a letter to the king of France. This poor, misguided young man told everyone about what he thought he had encountered. Before long he had gathered a large following of more than thirty thousand children who accompanied him on his pilgrimage. As Philip Schaff records it, when asked where they were going, they replied, "We go to God, and seek for the holy cross beyond the sea. They reached the southern French shore, but the waves did not part and let them go through dry-shod as they expected.! It was at Marseilles that tragedy occurred. The children met two men, Hugo Ferreus and William Porcus. The men claimed to be so impressed with the calling of the children that they offered to transport them across the Mediterranean in seven ships without charge. What the children didn't know was that the two men were slave traders. The children boarded the ships and the journey began, but instead of setting sail for the Holy Land, they set course for North Africa, where they were sold as slaves in the Muslim markets that did a large business in the buying and selling of human being. Few if any returned. None ever reached the Holy Land.! Deception is a very dangerous thing, and it is deadly.! It was through deception that our first parents plunged the entire human race into sin and alienation from God. What is so terrifying about the thought of deception is that a person doesn t know they've been deceived until it is too late.!
According to what Jesus says in this passage, such deception will be characteristic of the age that precedes His coming. And so Jesus begins the Olivet Discourse by warning His disciples to be on guard against deception.! Keep in mind that these disciples were still thinking that Jesus would establish His political kingdom soon and in their near future. This was what the Jews were looking for in a Messiah. The disciples knew that there would be a series of events that led up to Christ ruling and reigning as King, but they could not see the age that you and I now live in the church age in between Christ s first and second advent. So Jesus begins to carefully trace the age to come for them and tells them what they can anticipate.! He first says in verse 5, See that no one leads you astray.! In the next few verses, He goes to mention three things that we are to watch out for, things by themselves that do not signal the end itself, but are the beginning of birth pains.! The things that Jesus mentions in verses 5-8 are not so much the signs of the times as they are the beginning of birth pains. All of these things deception and division, chaos and catastrophe are not signs that the end has arrived, but are like labor pains which are the first signs that a birth is on the way.! John MacArthur - Initially, an expectant mother s contractions are separated and somewhat mild. But as the moment of childbirth grows closer, they intensify both in frequency and severity.! So notice then what Jesus says are the beginning of birth pains:! 1. Don t be DECEIVED by counterfeit saviors! And Jesus began to say to them, See that no one leads you astray. Many will come in My name, saying, I am he! And they will lead many astray.! Jesus said that there would be many religious leaders who would one day come, who would claim to speak for Him and lead their followers astray. Not everyone who names Jesus knows Jesus!! This is why He emphatically says what He does in verse 5, See that no one leads you astray. He says the same thing in:!
Matthew 24:4 - See that no one leads you astray.! Luke 21:8 - See that you are not led astray.! Other translations say, Take heed that no one deceives you, or, See to it that no one misleads you. The idea is that Christ s followers must be discerning and proactive against those who would deceive. Toward the end of the age, Jesus warns us that there will be an increase in deception and potential for people to be deceived by those who become popular and claim to have all the answers.! We are living in a day where people are being duped right and left. Political pundits, world leaders, talk show hosts, and religious icons are putting forth their ideas as absolutes and the masses are drinking their kool-aid. Ideologies and popular opinion and whatever the cultural icons believe, the media tells is that this too is what we should believe. Those who go against the grain are blacklisted.! Notice how the warning is amplified:! Mark 13:6 - Many will come in My name, saying, I am he! And they will lead many astray.! Matthew 24:5 - Many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray.! Luke 21:8 - For many will come in My name, saying, I am he! and, The time is at hand! Do not go after them.! The claims they make! Jesus says that these counterfeit saviors will come in His name, thereby claiming to be followers of Jesus or using His name to advance their own personal agendas. This is not the first time that Jesus warns His disciples about false teachers.! Matthew 7:15-20 - Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a
diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.! What are the fruits that designate these false teachers as such?! What they teach! What they don t teach! Who they teach! Jesus says here that the days that precede His return to earth will be days of deception whereby many will be deceived by false teachers who claim to be speaking for Christ.! The influence they have! Jesus said that these deceivers in the last days will lead many astray. Their influence will be pervasive and dangerous.! Here are some important things that you and I need to remember when it comes to the dangers associated with deception:! First, the person behind deception is Satan! John 8:44 - Satan is a liar and the father of lies.! Revelation 12:9 - And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.! In Revelation 20:2-3, Satan is referred to as the dragon, the ancient serpent who goes out for the purpose of deceiving the nations.! There is no lie so dangerous as the one which most closely resembles truth. Satan is a master deceiver and masquerades behind that which sounds good to the ear, feels good to the flesh, but ultimately damning to the soul. The deception that characterizes the last days that Jesus warns us about is satanic in nature. Though these deceivers will claim to speak for Christ, in reality they will speak for Satan.! 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 - For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an
angel of light. So it is not surprising is his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.! David Breese - We do well to remember that the cleverest liar makes statements that sound most nearly like the truth The most subtle created being in the universe is Lucifer. The cleverest set of lies that he has ever produced is the satanic system of doctrine. With his doctrines, he presses quiet arguments upon reasonable men, appealing to the high intelligence and mature sensibilities.! Second, the principles of deception are revealed in the Bible! Warren Wiersbe wrote a powerful little book years ago called The Strategy of Satan, in which he points out that in the Bible, the devil always uses the same strategy to trip people up. No matter where you turn in Scripture, you will find the devil coming back to the same playbook.! This is most clearly on display in Genesis 3. What does he solicit us to do? Notice:! Doubt God s Word! Dispute God s Word! Deny God s Word! Displace God s Word! This same strategy has been used by Satan from ancient history until modern times and will still be his strategy in the future.! Warren Wiersbe - Satan s lie, You will be like God, motivates and controls much of our civilization today. Man is seeking to pull himself up by his own bootstraps. He is working to build a utopia on earth Through education, psychiatry, religions of one kind or another, and better environment, men are defying God and deifying themselves. They are playing right into the hands of Satan.! Third, the power over deception is the truth of Christ! John 14:6 - I am the way, the truth, and the life.! Those who know Jesus know the truth, and the truth liberates.!
1 John 4:1-6 - Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.! The key to avoiding deception is to saturate your mind and heart with the truth. When we fill our minds with the truth and live in the truth, God s Spirit gives us discernment and the ability to distinguish truth from error.! Jesus Christ is truth. Truth is a Person we know through experience and personal relationship.